Gamers Sue PlayStation: It's Not Clear They're Selling Licenses Rather Than Ownership of Games
SUMMARYFour gamers filed a proposed class action against Sony Interactive Entertainment in California, claiming the PlayStation Store does not clearly tell customers that digital game purchases are licenses rather than ownership. The complaint argues that buttons like “Buy Now” and “Confirm Purchase” are misleading, even though a disclosure above the purchase button states that the content is licensed under the PlayStation Terms of Service and Software Product License Agreement.
The gaming news site Aftermath reports:
Four gamers are suing Sony Interactive Entertainment for allegedly breaking a California law that requires digital storefronts selling games to make it clear people are buying licenses, not actually owning the games.
Sony Interactive Entertainment's PlayStation store uses language like "Buy Now" and "Confirm Purchase," lawyers wrote in a complaint filed on Thursday... "In reality, consumers who 'purchase' digital games through PlayStation do not obtain ownership of those products," lawyers wrote. "Instead, PlayStation grants only a limited, revocable license to access the software, subject to multiple restrictions contained in a separate Software Product License Agreement"....
[T]he PlayStation store does have a disclosure. Above the "Confirm Purchase" button, there's a note: "By selecting [Confirm Purchase], you agree to complete the purchase in accordance with the PlayStation Terms of Service before using this content. You further acknowledge that your purchase of this digital product amounts to a license subject to the Software Product License Agreement." These four gamers aren't satisfied with that; they said in the complaint that it's too small, and that "a reasonable customer completing a purchase would not necessarily notice this disclosure."
"It's a proposed class action complaint, meaning the group of four gamers is asking a judge to grant them class action status."